Introducing live captions & subtitles in Skype

Today, Skype joins the world in celebrating the United Nations International Day of Persons with Disabilities with the launch of call captioning with live captions & subtitles. This new feature works on the latest version of Skype for one-on-one calls with a friend, coworker, or to any phone number, as well as in group calls with a work team or friend group. The live captions & subtitles feature provides a more inclusive experience for everyone in the Skype community, especially for people who are deaf or hard of hearing.

Skype has been hard at work at making our features more inclusive, and live captions & subtitles are just one way we made Skype calls more accessible. Simple settings allow you to turn them on for a single call or keep them turned on for all your calls. Live captions & subtitles are optimized to be fast, continuous, and contextually updated as people speak. Currently, the captions and subtitles auto-scroll in your call, but coming soon, you’ll find additional viewing options, including the ability to scroll through them in their own side window, so you don’t miss a moment—be it in a video or in the live subtitles. To learn how to use this feature, read our support article.

Coming soon: translations that support over 20 languages

To show our commitment towards inclusivity, we’re also releasing translations that support over 20 languages and dialects in the coming weeks. Whether you’re learning a new language, having a tough time understanding your friend from across the world, or attending a meeting that is not in your native tongue, our new translations will help keep you up to speed. Once you turn translations on through a simple setting toggle, you can read subtitles in the language of your choosing in every call.